How Has Slavery Changed Over Time

Slavery can be describe in many ways and in many different forms. Jean Allain and Kevin Bales, professors at Queen University describes slavery as the “status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised” (website). That may be the broader definition of slavery, but the definition of slavery goes much deeper than that. Slavery is a term that is fluid, it can change over many times and have different meanings. The type of slavery that has come to be the most famous description, is the enslavement of Africans in the United States in the sixteen-century and late eighteen-century. But what if I said that was not the only type of slavery during this time period. What if I told you,
secretly the whites were enslaved too! In both slaves novel such Fredrick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of a slave girl, it inexplicit describes the enslavement of poor whites. Thesis: The poor whites were mentally enslaved through the lack of perceptions of their niche between the educated slaves and upper-class whites. The reverse slavery can be seen through the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs and Fredrick Douglass
The Narrative of the life Fredrick Douglass is an autobiography that tells the story of his escaped to freedom through determination and education. While Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography of Harriet Jacobs, who would do anything to obtain her freedom and her children! Her story is unique share for first time the sexual harassment endured by the beautiful slaves women. Both narratives were critical and special, and does a great job of presenting another view of slavery being embodied on the poor whites.
Slavery did not excused even the young poor white children, they too had to endure the mental enslavement because their parents were poor, and the driven educated black slaves understood this and used this knowledge to their advantaged.
It was illegal to teach a slaves how to read and write, Mr.
Auld describe it as unsafe because an educated slave was a feared slave. Douglass was not fearful of this law and saw the poor whites children in Baltimore as an opportunity; they were an undetected assets to the black slaves. They were going to be the key to Douglass education and they were oblivious of his manipulation. The relationship established between the poor whites and Douglass was one of communalism and not mutualism or dominance as believed by the poor whites. Douglass took the streets of Baltimore and converted as many poor white boys as he could into teachers (341). For a reward, he gave them bread, “This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return would give me that most valuable bread of knowledge” (342). The life of a slave was different for the poor whites. The poor white were the type of slaves who lacked food but were allowed an education. Douglass was the type of slave who had enough to eat at times, but could not get filled completely because he lacked a well balance diet; the fruit of knowledge. The poor whites he fed believe the relationship established with Douglass was benefiting both of them, but in actuality Douglass was gaining more from this
relationship.
At other times, the poor white children blindly perceived that they had a superiority over the slaves, but Douglass was actually the invisible master during these occasions. The way that Douglass learned how to write was one of complete brilliance, “I met with any boy who I knew could write, I would tell him I could write as well as he, the next world would be, I don’t believe you” (345). Douglass had purposely hid his agenda by adopting a child mindset and challenging the poor whites to a spelling contest, a contest they seem to never back down from. Of course, Douglass had no idea how to write, so he would write few letters he seen, and challenge them to beat that. The poor whites children wanted any chance they could get to practice their superiority over the slaves. They of course accepted the challenge and obviously won the challenge, or so they believed. Douglass was the one who commanded them to write and tricked them into teaching him how to write, he was the true master of the poor white children.
While the driven slaves used the poor white children to higher their education, the wealthy whites used them to do their dirty work.
In the autobiography of Fredrick Douglass the wealthy slave owners used the status of the poor whites to make them dependent on doing their unwanted tasks. The comparison between the rich and poor farmers were socially drastic. The wealthy slaves’ owner had slaves to till their huge plantations, while the poor whites farmers had no land neither could they afford to hire workers to till their land. Poor whites farmers had to be creative in order to make a profit. Edward Covey was one of those creative poor farmer who patent himself as a slave broker, one of the best nigger-broker. Covey was depended on this reputation because it open up opportunities. Convey had the opportunity to be least slaves for a year that wealthy whites could not control. Fredrick Douglass explained the benefits Covey gained from other masters, “it enabled him to get his farm tilled with much less expense” (355). But underneath this believed benefit was a dependency relationship (355). This argument can be further supported when Douglass ran away to his master after being severely beaten, he begged him to take him back because he feared he would die on Covey’s farm. Douglass’s master understood that Covey could not afford to kill Douglass because he would lose the whole year’s wage (363). Master Thomas could had accepted Douglass back, but breaking him was a task he did not want to accept. He knew the desperately of Convey situation and rather for him take care of Douglass’s behavior, knowing the end results will allow him to reap all the benefits of broken a broken slave. When Convey’s reputation was in jeopardy after Douglass fought him back he kept silence because he would lose everything, his workers and his rented land (366). Convey was mentally enslaved to the rich slave owners and inherited the task of doing their dirty work without any sense of money compensation or a chance to gain freedom from there cycle of poverty. The rich slaves kept the poor farmers depended on them and their slaves and never allowed an economic opportunity for them to join them on the higher social economic ladder.
Not only in the narrative of Fredrick Douglass is there proof of the poor whites being mentally enslaved, but there’s also evident in the Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

The wealthy white knew the poor whites were vibrant in keeping the notion of slavery alive, and gave them a taste of power in order for them to be unconsciously aware they were mentally enslaved. There was a muster (assemblage of troops) every year in Edenton, North Carolina and on this occasion the poor whites got to participate in the everyday ranking of other whites (473). In the light of the events that occurred in Virginia because of Nat Turner’s slave rebellion, the slave’s owners in North Carolina were taking precautions and called to order another muster. The muster, is one of the only time where poor whites get to assert power over the slaves by raiding their house and even beating them. They took pride of this day because they were respected in the eyes of the slave’s owners in their county and feared by the slaves, which made them feel powerful and of equal importance. Linda, was aware that the poor whites were ignorant of their role and wanted to present her home of greater value compared to the poor whites who were not slaves and could economically progress in the social economic ladder because they were free. “I knew nothing annoyed them so much as to see colored people living in comfort and respectability; so I made arrangements for them with especial care” (474). Linda, knew that slaves were not the poor whites enemy, they too were in the same boat of oppression, but because of the role of race, the poor white could not see that truth; they were mentally enslaved. Linda further explained that the poor whites did not understand that the power that trampled on the color people also kept them in poverty too (474). The true master behind this raid was Mr. Litch, a cruel slave owner who did not wished to get his hands dirty during the search. “He merely gave orders,” and read the letters found that the poor whites could not read (475). Mr. Litch had the poor around his hands, and like a puppet master, he was the only source of power that could transform the poor white into a real man. In this time period a man was someone who owned a slave and asserted power of them (do I need a source????). The puppet master gave the puppets a chance once a year to acquire power, in order to distract them from their strings that has kept enchained for a long time in poverty.
Although slavery in terms of the Antebellum era consists of blacks being physically enslaved by rich white owners. The poor white though, were mentally enslaved and were undetected of this evident. The poor whites always turned to the slaves or free blacks as their enemy. In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass the whites went on strike and did not want to work with the free blacks because they believed they should have a higher status and opportunity than them. And other times, the slaves held invisible domination over poor whites by manipulation. The poor whites were the victims of mental slavery by both free and non-free slaves and wealthy whites. In comparison, in today’s society we live in a nation that supports an economic slavery relationship that does not discriminate between ethnicity and race. Capitalism is allowing for the cycle of poverty to continue to exist, because in order for one person to benefit financially, one must be the sacrifice to lower wages. Although the slaves were emancipated and the poor whites gradually gained economic status after legislations such as the Jim Crow’s Laws, or the House Act/G.I Bills, types of Slavery can still be found.